To join in, just grab a book and share the opening lines…along with any thoughts you wish to give us; then turn to page 56 and excerpt anything on the page.

Then give us the title of the book, so others can add it to their lists!

What a great way to spend a Friday!

Today’s feature is a book that has been patiently waiting on my Kindle: Try Not To Breathe, by Holly Seddon, an engrossing thriller full of page-turning twists and turns, richly imagined characters, and gripping psychological suspense.

Beginning: (Amy, 18 July 1995)

Music thudded through Amy’s body and seized her heart. Music so loud that her eardrums pounded in frenzy and her baby-bird ribs rattled. Music was everything. Well, almost everything.

Later, the newspapers would call fifteen-year-old Amy Stevenson a “ray of sunshine,” with “everything to live for.” Her headphones buzzed with rock and pop as she trudged the long way home, rucksack sagging.

***

Friday 56: His voice was once the source of such dizzying excitement. That voice, her hanging up the phone with seconds to spare as Bob’s key clattered in the lock. Leaving her so flustered she had to skirmish to her room to hide.

***

Synopsis: Some secrets never die. They’re just locked away.Alex Dale is lost. Destructive habits have cost her a marriage and a journalism career. All she has left is her routine: a morning run until her body aches, then a few hours of forgettable work before the past grabs hold and drags her down. Every day is treading water, every night is drowning. Until Alex discovers Amy Stevenson. Amy Stevenson, who was just another girl from a nearby town until the day she was found unconscious after a merciless assault. Amy Stevenson, who has been in a coma for fifteen years, forgotten by the world. Amy Stevenson, who, unbeknownst to her doctors, remains locked inside her body, conscious but paralyzed, reliving the past.Soon Alex’s routine includes visiting hours at the hospital, then interviews with the original suspects in the attack. But what starts as a reporter’s story becomes a personal obsession. How do you solve a crime when the only witness lived but cannot tell the tale? Unable to tear herself away from her attempt to uncover the unspeakable truth, Alex realizes she’s not just chasing a story—she’s seeking salvation.Shifting from present to past and back again, Try Not to Breathe unfolds layer by layer until its heart-stopping conclusion. The result is an utterly immersive, unforgettable debut.

***

What do you think? I am wondering how I could leave this book hiding out on my Kindle. I’m eager to start reading it.

Sounds wonderful! It does play on my greatest fear though – being conscious but unable to move or communicate. This week I am featuring a historical mystery – A Dangerous Duet by Karen Odden. Happy reading!

Did anyone else figure out how Amy recognized Alex’s voice from long ago? Or why Sue thought Alex looked familiar but couldn’t place her? Alex also seemed to “know” the other characters but couldn’t place them either. I felt like this was brought up a few times in the book but we were never brought up to speed.
Otherwise it was a fantastic read!